


Speak fondly upon that memory;

by carefulfleshgnawer



Category: Ao no Exorcist | Blue Exorcist
Genre: Action, Canon Divergence, Canon-Typical Violence, Demons, Friendship, Light Angst, M/M, The pairing is heavily implied... yearning...
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-24
Updated: 2020-12-24
Packaged: 2021-03-11 02:00:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,788
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28287375
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/carefulfleshgnawer/pseuds/carefulfleshgnawer
Summary: It will remind you, like a beacon, of where you want to be.Secret Santa present for Pax ❤❤
Relationships: Okumura Rin/Suguro "Bon" Ryuuji
Comments: 6
Kudos: 21
Collections: Ao no Exorcist Secret Santa 2020





	Speak fondly upon that memory;

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Geek_gettin_Bi101](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Geek_gettin_Bi101/gifts).



> I had to get out of my comfort zone for this one, and I hope that you like it ✌✌✌🥰🥰🥰
> 
> Some good old friendship forging by working together with some heavily implied bonrin because I know you like bonrin :D :D :D

**A MOST CONFUSINGLY PAINFUL ABSENCE.**

Suguro Ryuuji sits at the desk of his dorm room. It is the early hours of the evening; his homework is done; his essays are written. He’s trying to do some extra reading for tomorrow’s lessons - both for the academy and for the cram school.

But… he finds that now that his basic responsibilities have been fulfilled, his mind is, for lack of a better word, _relaxing_ \- keeps drifting away from algebra and from botany and from any other book he’s opened. 

There’s an itch in his mind, one he hasn’t been able to scratch, one that probably _can’t_ be scratched in a way that brings satisfaction. Ryuuji keeps thinking back to… the fact that Okumura Rin is currently on the other side of the world. 

Well, more or less. The Vatican is far enough away to count. Rin is there - undergoing training with the Arc Knights of The Order. The higher-ups of True Cross had deemed the training of a child of Satan too much for his teacher-at-the-time, Kirigakure Shura, and had uprooted and moved him to where they could better keep an eye on him (to where they could better control him).

Ryuuji had breathed a sigh of relief at first - Rin was a menace in class; his glaring lack of attention was so potent that Ryuuji would find himself having trouble as well. And, though he knows it’s a bad critique to make, Ryuuji finds Rin’s reading painful to listen to - the boy does not know enough kanji to read fluidly and struggles even with the ones he does know. And - especially bothersome was when Rin would fall asleep and outright snore in class. The second-hand embarrassment would make Ryuuji feel like dying.

Why, that first day after Rin left, Ryuuji was ecstatic. He was perfectly attentive in class and got all his notes and asked thought-inducing questions that sparked debates between him and the teachers. Man, if that hadn’t been a productive day at school, then nothing was!

But… yeah. 

Rin is still away. Has been for a few weeks. Will continue to be away for… _no one even knows_ how long. There seems to be no good answer - not from Yukio, not from Shura, not from any other teachers, not even from the headmaster of the school and branch chief, Mephisto.

Ryuuji stares down blankly at the illustration of a mandrake. He knows what it is and what to do with it, but… he wouldn’t be able to explain it, right now. The knowledge is somewhere in his brain - behind that wall of fuzz. Behind that dreadful _itch_.

That honeymoon phase has worn off, hard. Undisturbed classes be damned, Ryuuji finds himself missing Rin. He misses the study sessions where himself and Konekomaru would try to get Rin and Renzou to pay attention for long enough to learn something. 

He misses Rin’s cooking the times they studied at the old boy’s dorm until late into the evening for the next day’s tests. He misses the moments when Rin would get all headstrong and determined to learn something - and would go at it relentlessly no matter how long it took (sadly, that wasn’t often and tended to only happen on the precondition that there was a bet about getting a specific score). He misses Rin’s wide, goofy smile and infectious laughter, the way he could lighten the atmosphere seemingly without trying.

Ryuuji… still thinks of Rin as a friend, despite his many flaws (not that Ryuuji sees himself as perfect!). And Ryuuji wonders how his friend is doing. All alone in a foreign place, being trained by the best of the best - the Arc Knights must be drilling him down to the bone. The boy had struggled to keep up with Shura’s methods, so he can only pray that Rin is still in one piece over there. 

Not for the first time, he wonders if there’s a way to get in contact with him. Perhaps a phone call or letter or even a text message… he’s been too chicken to try and ask, though. But he wants to… he wants to know how the other is doing - whether he’s eating well, sleeping well, whether he’s happy or lonely or satisfied or uncomfortable… He just…

He just wants to talk to Rin again.

Ryuuji isn't usually like this - so sombre or thoughtful, _so wistful_. Actions have always spoken (somewhat) louder than words. This train of thought about Rin and how he's doing… it's familiar, but Ryuuji doesn't ride it often. He doesn’t have the time to.

His days are too filled, neat slots in his planner, perfect to the minute, and he is too busy to think about the things he has no power over. Between physical exercise to get his body in shape, classes at the academy and cram school, the extensive studying and training for two whole meisters, his head and body are full. Except for little moments like this - the hours between activities, when he’s rushed ahead of the clock and finished before time.

Ryuuji turns his head to watch the seconds tick by. There’s still half an hour before he needs to get ready for his evening training with the Aria instructor. He should drink some tea to make sure his throat is soft for the vocal exercises. He should look over the verses they’ll be pacing through today. Maybe he’ll be able to focus on that.

Ryuuji sighs, rubbing a hand over his face. He’s being too distracted again. Worrying about things he can’t change. He needs to be better, needs to learn and let it go.

He pulls out the book - an old, faded collection of Shintoism chants - and flips it through to the chapter they’ll be chanting today. It doesn’t take as much focus as the chants in Latin, or Hebrew, or Hindu, but the grammar and script used is different enough from standard modern Japanese to prove tricky.

He sets a timer on his phone so that he doesn’t get caught up and miss when he should get going. Then, he clears his throat and-

Ryuuji mumbles along to the syllable tracing where he is with a finger against the grainy surface of the paper; his mind clears slowly as he keeps it up. The words are the only thing in his mind, slotting into place as he works to memorise them, his only focus. 

As it should be.

* * *

**AND SO, WE MUST WORK, HAND IN STRANGE HAND.**

Ryuuji looks over the roster where the exwires are listed with whatever senior they’ve been paired up with. His eyes run over the names, looking for himself. Konekomaru’s with Umanagi, their botany teacher; Izumo is with Nishita, one of the senior Tamers, Shima is with Okumura, and Ryuuji… is with Shura.

Unbidden, he finds himself cringing a little bit. It’s not that he has something against the woman… it’s just that… he disagrees with her methods. Her attitude doesn’t really, how to say, carry the gravity of what it means to be an exorcist.

Ryuuji knows she’s more than capable. But he’s not looking forward to working with her (and only her!) at all.

Ryuuji goes to the information desk of the cram school and receives the briefing packet for his mission. He opens it when he gets to his dorm room.

A hobgoblin infestation in a village near Semboku. Ryuuji wrinkles his nose - it’s a considerable drive away. Unless they’re travelling by magic key, which would be the optimal variant. They’re scheduled to meet up at headquarters, at seven in the morning on Tuesday next week.

It’s Friday. Ryuuji’s frown deepens before he lets out a quiet groan. Great. He’ll be worrying about this all weekend.

\--

On Tuesday, at 6:59 am, Ryuuji stands at the designated meeting place. He got just here after his morning run and shower. Shura is nowhere to be seen, though, no matter what direction he looks in.

Briefly, Ryuuji considers texting Yukio for Shura’s phone number, but then changes his mind. He doesn’t want to bother their young teacher too much, knowing that he and Shima have their joint mission today as well and Yukio will need all the mental fortitude he has to get through it without strangling Renzou.

So, Ryuuji waits. And waits some more. A bit more, even. His phone says it’s 7:20 am. Shura is undeniably, impolitely late. He’s just about to change his mind about contacting Yukio, when-

“Hi there!” Shura’s voice carries over as she walks into view, “So, we got the mission today, huh? Just you an’ me?”

“You’re late,” Ryuuji states blankly, trying to not show his irritation at her laid-back attitude. Not even a ‘sorry’.

“Eh,” she says with a dismissive hand gesture, “You’re just early, Suguro.”

“No, I was on time,” Ryuuji insists, pointing at her in accusation, “and you are over twenty minutes late.”

“Fine,” Shura relents with a pout, “So, I’m late, big deal. Let’s just go then, huh? You know where we gotta go right?”

“Yeah, to Semboku,” Ryuuji answers.

Shura turns to look at him with wide eyes, “Seriously, that far away? Jeez, I should’ve taken something to read with me.”

“You… didn’t know where we’re going?”

“I figured ya would memorise it, so I just didn’t worry too much about it, heh,” she says with a chuckle, “now, let’s go to the station and get our tickets, maybe if we have enough time we can stop by the convenience store and get some snacks for the road… I’ll pay for you, since I got some allowance for this mission~”

“Thanks,” he says gruffly.

They get their tickets and have half an hour left until their train departs, so they get the snacks and drinks and Shura gets a magazine to read on the way. Ryuuji has the book he’s learning from right now with him as well, because he’d been prepared for this turn of events.

The first half hour of the ride is spent in quiet, each of them lost in their respective reading material. But then it drags on, longer and longer… and soon enough Shura’s flipped through the entire magazine and is looking out of the window, distinctly bored, and Ryuuji is having trouble reading because there’s a baby that’s been crying for the last 10 minutes somewhere in the wagon and it’s getting hard to concentrate.

With a frustrated huff, he closes the book and slides it back into his bag. Shura watches out of the corner of her eye.

“Done for now, Suguro?” she asks. 

“Yeah, I guess. Can’t focus anyway,” he mutters, folding his hands over his chest and craning his head to look at the ceiling. The train sways gently as it travels, making the straphangers swing to and fro.

“So, what have you been up to?” Shura asks in a tame voice, still looking out.

“Studying, mostly. Haven’t got time for much else,” Ryuuji responds truthfully, “I knew going for two meisters at once would be tough, and I wasn’t wrong. There’s always something to do.”

“Yeesh,” Shura says with a grimace, “I don’t get people like you… working hard is nice an’ all, but you gotta know how to relax as well. Take a day off, lie around and read some manga, maybe go drinking with your friends… well, you can’t drink I guess, but a cafe would still be nice…”

Ryuuji scoff-chuckles, “I’m not looking to slack off, Miss Kirigakure. I’m an honest, working man.”

Shura snorts out a loud laugh, “Oh, look at you! You’re still a kid, you know! You’re not a ‘ _workin’ man_ ’. Haha- oh, you’re a funny one, Suguro.”

Ryuuji feels his cheeks heating up, indignant, “Don’t laugh! I’m being serious here! You should be a little more tempered as an adult, Miss Kirigakure!”

“Blegh, screw that,” she says with a grimace, “I’ll act how I wanna act, it’s all a big joke anyway. Our time on earth is so limited~ I jus’ wanna have fun~”

“Ugh, how’d they let someone like you become a teacher?” Ryuuji asks with a scowl, “You’re not a good role model at all!”

“Life ain’t perfect, kid,” Shura says, pulling out a bag of candy from their shared plastic bag of snacks, “get used to it.”

Ryuuji turns his head to look at her as she opens the candy bag and stuffs a whole handful of candy in her mouth at once. Ryuuji cringes at how her cheeks bulge. Messy.

“Whap? You whamp thome?” she asks, her mouth full.

“No thanks,” Ryuuji says with a grimace. Shura just shrugs as she chews.

“You know,” she says a bit later, once she’d finished her mouthful, “talkin’ to you like this, you remind me of Rin. A good kid but crazy prickly about the weirdest things,” she pauses, “... but you’ve got more of a head on your shoulders, though. Rin’s… well, he can be a bit of a rock sometimes, to put it mildly.”

“Tche; me and Rin? Similar? Are you trying to make me angry or something, Miss Kirigakure?” Ryuuji asks, annoyed at the comparison.

“It ain’t an insult! What’s wrong with ya?” Shura asks, irritated right back at him, “I called you a good kid!”

“You compared me to that dumbass Okumura - of course I’ll take offense to it!” Ryuuji growls.

“Ugh,” Shura says, running a hand over her face, “Jus’ forget it. Rin… he ain’t bad, and he ain’t stupid. Sure, he isn’t book smart like you, but he’s good with people, and he’s surprisingly clever. Just a bit too goofy and laid back most of the time to make most of it.”

Ryuuji finds his irritation lessening at her tone - the calm, wistful one - “Y-yeah...” he turns to stare at the seat in front of him, “sounds like Okumura alright...”

They’re both quiet for a moment, then, before Ryuuji gathers the courage to ask her - “What was it like training him? Did you get along with him, or did you fight all the time?”

“Hmm,” Shura hums, “Well - I can’t say we fought all the time, but we didn’t get along perfectly either… Of course I had to put my foot down once in a while, an’ Rin wasn’t too much of a fan of that,” she takes another piece of candy thoughtlessly, looking somewhere into the distance, “I could never know what the best approach was with him. Do I be stern? Do I be soft an’ understanding? One thing was for sure, he’s the kind that learns through doing...”

“He sounds like a handful,” Ryuuji says, “it’s impressive you got him to learn anything at all.” He tries to imagine it… Rin was hard enough to deal with in study sessions when he’d keep trying to get them to take a break, to play a game, saying stuff like, ‘c’mon it’s not such a big deal… we’re still kids, let’s play while we can instead of doing all this hard stuff-’.

“No, no, he was pretty motivated despite everything!” Shura says, “Jus’ prone to getting frustrated… I miss teaching him, to be honest. Never had a student before, so I kept thinkin’ ‘man, what a bother this kid is’, but then when the Vatican took him up… I realised I liked havin’ a pupil. Odd, that,” she chuckles.

“It’s not odd,” Ryuuji says, and Shura turns to look at him with an inquisitive expression, “I mean, uh, - well, I didn’t have him as a student, but as a classmate I also thought that he’s hard to deal with and annoying… but it’s as you say, since he’s been away, I can’t help but miss him. An idiot - sure - but he’s too well-meaning to really deserve any hate. We had our share of differences and fights, but… Okumura’s a good guy.”

Shura’s looking at him with this lopsided smile now, “Ohh, Suguro...”

Ryuuji feels heat rising in his cheeks, embarrassed at his own admission, “What? I’m just saying!”

Shura laughs, light-hearted, “No, it’s just - we’re rather alike, aren’t we? Ahh, I hope he turns out well… Rin’s got a lot of potential...”

A little less defensive, Ryuuji concurs, his cheeks still warm, “That he does.”

“He talked about you a lot, you know,” Shura says after another moment of pause.

“H-he what? What kind of stuff did he say, Miss Kirigakure?” Ryuuji asks, slightly worried, mostly curious.

“How much he admired you,” Shura answers, “Man, whenever he’d come back from a study session with you guys, it was all ‘Wow, Shura, Bon is so cool! He’s so smart! He’s so hard working!’” she says in a crude imitation of Rin’s voice, “-an’ I mean every time! Man, I always thought he’d talk his own tongue off with praising ya. He really looks up to you, Suguro.”

Now Ryuuji’s face is completely red. What kind of embarrassing, sappy shit-?

“The hell’s he thinking, going around saying stuff like that! What the hell!” he exclaims, “Next time I see him, I’m gonna-” but he stops mid-sentence. He’s going to what exactly? Smack him? Hug him? Tell him off?

Shura tries to stifle a laugh behind her hand and fails, “Aw, look at ya, all riled up. You should take a compliment more gracefully, Suguro.”

“This ain’t a proper compliment! He was off saying that to you, not to me! How embarrassing...” Ryuuji gripes.

“Ah, well, he might not look it, but Rin can be self-conscious too, ya know. Maybe he thought he’d look less cool in your eyes if he went around praising you,” Shura says.

Ryuuji has nothing to say to that. Rin… worrying about his image in front of him? Why would he? What’s up with that? The train stops, and a bunch of people get off, a bunch of people get on. Ryuuji and Shura’s destination is still a few stops off. 

For a lack of anything better to do, Ryuuji takes an energy bar from their snack bag and eats it, trying to savour the taste and not think about everything Shura just revealed to him.

God… that Okumura… 

\--

Ryuuji is woken up by jostling.

“C’mon, Suguro, our stop’s coming up,” Shura’s voice chimes in, “wake up, I’m not gonna carry you.”

“Whuh-” he croaks, peeling his eyes open. They’re still in the train, Shura’s standing over him with an amused smile.

“You snore, you know,” she says. Ryuuji just blinks at her in confused stupor. Then, he starts to move, gathering his bag and checking his phone and wallet in his pockets.

“We’re here?” he asks, voice gruff with sleep. Man, how had he even fallen asleep? They’d been talking, and then he just… went out like a light.

“Yep,” Shura says, popping the ‘p’. “Semboku, in all its glory.”

Except… it’s not really glory. The platform looks rather barren when they step off, and there aren’t really any visible landmarks. It’s a simple, quiet city. There’s birdsong from a ways off, filtering through the buildings.

“Alright,” Shura announces, “Where to next, Suguro?”

Ryuuji feels a modicum of irritation again at her attitude, “We need to find the bus station so we can get to the village.”

“Alright, let’s ask around~” Shura singsongs, taking off to talk with one of the other passengers that had stepped off the train.

They find the bus station with minimal problems and take the first bus to their final destination. It’s a short trip compared to the train ride - more of an on and off sort of thing.

This… now, this is the Japanese countryside. The stop had been at the side of the highway, but the actual village is a bit of a walk off - they make their way down a neat dirt road, rice fields on either side. The air is warm and humid, and there are mosquitos flying about - annoying and inevitable.

Ryuuji smiles wryly, thinking about how Shima would hate it here.

When they reach the village, the streets are pretty empty. There’re mostly traditional houses with a few odd-one-out modern buildings. A cat slinks over the road ahead of them, stopping at the side to eye them curiously before continuing on its way.

“Cute place,” Shura says, “but I bet there’s nothing to do here unless you’re old and your idea of a fun time is reading or tending a garden.”

Ryuuji eyes the buildings - a lot of them have their amado on, giving the houses a closed off look and adding to an overall… ominous atmosphere. It’s hard to tell if they’re houses for living or storage shacks. The lack of people doesn’t help. And, unlike in Semboku, there’s not a single bird to be seen or heard.

“Not sure I like it here,” Ryuuji notes. He feels… he feels watched.

“That’ll be the hobgoblin infestation that has the residents all grumpy and holed up,” Shura says, waving his worries off, “I guarantee ya when we get rid of em’ this’ll be a real lovely place to look at. If we’re lucky, someone might even treat us for a meal~”

“We have to complete our mission first, Miss Kirigakure,” Ryuuji scolds, “don’t go thinking about reward before completing the task, you’ll jinx yourself.”

“Pshaw, I’ve been an exorcist for a while now, kid,” Shura laughs, “I know better than to underestimate a demon. Why, they’re out there, watchin’ us right now. Ya feel it too, don’t you? Waiting for a moment where they have the upper hand. Hobgoblins don’t usually attack in broad daylight but dependin’ on how serious the infestation… they might.”

Ryuuji eyes the dark corners of the street they’re on, where it seems like the shadows are just a bit larger and more mobile than they should be. There’s a prickling sensation to the back of his neck that has him on edge.

“You know the killing verse, right, Suguro? If we draw them out, I can hold them back while you chant,” Shura offers. A simple enough tactic, but Ryuuji hesitates. It’s as Shura said - they don’t know how many demons there are; and he doesn’t want to put himself in unnecessary danger.

“I know this will take longer, but...” he starts, “how about we set up wards and wait until dark? They’ll be more likely to try and come to us, then, and we’ll have an extra layer of protection.”

“Mmm, I guess that could work...” Shura says, just a little dejectedly, “but it’s such a hassle… Ugh, fine, but only because you’re such a smart kid.”

Ryuuji guffaws at her attitude, but they both get to finding the best spot to set up their point of operations and then drawing up the necessary wards.

The dark sets in a while after they finish setting up, and Shura dogs Ryuuji into a game of pig’s tail while they wait. He doesn’t even know where she keeps the cards. She whips his ass, but he’s like 99% sure that she cheats.

But then, once the tops of the trees lose the golden tint from the setting sun, they both become serious.

“Start chanting when you’re ready, Suguro,” Shura says, stepping out to the edge of the warded territory, her sword drawn and ready.

Ryuuji starts - the killing verse for hobgoblins is fairly simple and not too long, but it can only kill so many at a time, so he’ll be chanting it a lot. As expected, the demons come forth from the shadows, agitated by the chant, and Shura steps out of the wards to cut them down, several at a time.

At the risk of distracting himself, Ryuuji watches - and she’s every bit an impressive exorcist worthy of her rank. Her moves are faster than he can keep track of, and she kills the hobgoblins much faster than his chanting can.

But- they just keep coming, more and more and more-

By the twentieth repeat of the killing verse, Ryuuji’s mouth feels dry and he fears that he might twist his tongue. Shura steps back into the ward, panting, and the demons immediately begin to rattle the barriers.

“Man, this is exhausting,” Shura gripes, “they’re all small fry, but it’s never ending! How much more can we kill?”

Ryuuji, of course, can’t answer that.

“Ugh, yeah, I know,” Shura groans, “Well, I’ll summon my familiars, maybe it’ll help.”

Just then, as Shura is summoning her Naga, Ryuuji notices it - a large, ancient looking hobgoblin tumbling towards them at an alarming speed. It must be the ringleader of this whole infestation, and odds are that the rest will flee if they take it down.

Ryuuji knocks on the ground he’s sitting on to get Shura’s attention, and once she looks at him, he points to the demon.

“Oh!” she exclaims, “Yeah, I get what you mean! Leave it to me!”

Shura instructs her naga to stay and help Ryuuji with the smaller demons attacking the wards - which are starting to look worse for wear - as she sets out to kill the big one.

Ryuuji tries to not worry, but with every repetition he chants, only a handful of hobgoblins die - immediately replaced by more. Shura’s naga helps, but it’s also not enough. The wards rattle and shake and chip at the edges - they won’t hold forever.

‘ _Please, Miss Kirigakure,_ ’ he thinks, not stopping his chant, ‘ _please, kill it. I’m a sitting duck here._ ’

One of the wards cracks - a fissure down the middle. It doesn’t break, not yet, but-

But he doesn’t have long.

Ryuuji finished the repetition but doesn’t start the next. Instead, he chants something else- a simple barrier spell he’d learned in seals and barriers class- he casts it so small that it barely fits him inside, which allows him to make it more durable. Another layer of protection for when the wards inevitably fall.

He must curl up on the ground to fit inside, and the outside world from within it is painted an odd blue tint. “I’m counting on you, Miss Kirigakure,” he mumbles as he picks the chanting of the killing verse back up- enraging the hobgoblins which had calmed down just a bit while Ryuuji had paused it.

Ryuuji cannot see Shura anymore, not through the thick layer of demons blocking his view of outside. He only hopes she’s doing better than him.

Ryuuji’s mouth hurts from all the talking. The cracked ward gives in, and the hobgoblins tumble inside, immediately going for his smaller bubble of a barrier, banging against it fervently. Ryuuji doesn’t see the naga anymore - it’s possible that it’s been called back or defeated, leaving him alone.

He closes his eyes and ignores the demons. Instead, he focuses on the chant, on making it as lethal as he can, on pouring his heart into the words, into the meaning and the intention.

Ryuuji doesn’t know how long this continues, but- it takes him a while to notice the quiet.

Hesitantly, he opens his eyes after falling quiet. Shura lies on the road a ways off, but there are no more demons around. His tiny barrier is cracked and thinned but holding. He lets it go, rising to his feet that protest at the stretch.

“Miss Kirigakure?” he croaks, throat sore. Ryuuji stumbles forwards to her, “Miss Kirigakure, are you conscious?”

“Guh, yeah,” Shura groans unhappily, “but at what fuckin’ cost. I’m so tired...”

Ryuuji settles down onto the dirt beside her. “Did you defeat the big one?”

“Yeah. Jus’ want a nap now… can ya wake me up in a lil’ bit?”

“You shouldn’t sleep on the dirt,” Ryuuji says, “You’ll get sick.”

There’s a moment of quiet.

“Fine...” she mutters, turning over on her belly and rising slowly after she manages to get her hands under herself, “but I seriously need some rest before we go back...”

“We should look for Mr. Katsuga,” Ryuuji says, “he’s the one who called the order to get rid of the infestation. Maybe he would let us rest-”

“And eat...” Shura adds wistfully.

“And eat...” Ryuuji can’t help but agree. He’s very tired and very hungry, and his throat is going to kill him in the very near future.

Knocking on one of the houses feels rude due to the amado, but a tired looking native points them in the direction of Mr. Katsuga’s house, and, after some fumbling through the dark, unlit streets, they find it one the edge of the village. 

It’s a nice, traditional house like the rest, only surrounded by apple trees. Were it later in the season, the fruit would be ripe and Ryuuji would pull one from a branch to eat right now, but they are still hard, green, and most likely disgustingly sour.

Shura bangs on the amado with all the fervour and exhausted person can manage. They hear the slide of the shoji before the amado itself budges, revealing a rather young man.

“Hello, who are you?” he asks sleepily, before his eyes stop on the pin of Ryuuji’s uniform and he seems to wake up a bit more, “Oh? Are you from the True Cross order?”

“Yeah,” Shura says, “We took care of your little hobgoblin problem and we’re tired, so if you have a spare futon or two, please bring them out.”

The man looks taken aback by her brash attitude, to say the least.

“Please, Mr. Katsugi,” Ryuuji croaks, “the exorcism was very tough on us, so, please have some pity.”

“Oh, I- yes, of course,” Katsugi says, beckoning them inside. 

They leave their boots in the genkan, and Katsugi offers them guest slippers and tea, which they accept.

Shura all but slumps unto the cushions by the low table where Katsugi beckoned them to sit.

“Man, I have half a mind to sleep right here on the tatami,” she says.

“Well, don’t fall asleep just yet, that would be rude,” Ryuuji points out. Shura sticks her tongue out at him.

“Here’s some tea,” Katsugi says, padding over with a platter. He pours Ryuuji and Shura a cup, “Now, I don’t have much in the way of food, but I’ll see if I can find something for you both to eat. It would be the least I can do, since you’ve been such a help with this infestation,” he bows deeply to them in thanks, “I knew I could trust in True Cross to help.”

Ryuuji returns the bow respectfully,” It is our duty to help those in need, Mr. Katsugi. Thank you for calling on us, and do not hesitate to call again if something similar is to happen.”

Katsugi leaves again, presumably to the kitchen.

“He’s a nice client,” Shura says quietly, “I like him. Feels sincere.”

“Yeah, he seems like a good man, I feel a bit bad for pulling him out of bed in the middle of the night,” Ryuuji says, taking the cup of tea and tasting it. It’s a nice blend and feels heavenly to his aching throat. He looks around - the room is rather barren. “You think he lives alone?”

“Mm, he might, I dunno,” Shura answers, “maybe his family is just sleeping.” She also takes a sip of the tea. They wait in silence.

After a while, Katsugi returns with some fried rice with egg, pickled radishes, and seaweed salad.

“Sorry, I didn’t have much in the way of any filling, but I hope this will do,” he explains sheepishly.

“Thank you very much, Mr. Katsugi,” Ryuuji says thankfully as he accepts the warm bowl, “We are very grateful for this food,” with a foot under the table, he nudges Shura.

“Yes, thank you, Mr. Katsugi,” she says with a slight bow and a pleasant smile.

They eat as Katsugi recounts the tale of how the infestation started, explaining the way it affected crops, how many village people got hurt and how, and how much it means to the community that they’ve helped get rid of the menace.

After their brief meal, Katsugi takes them to the guest room where he’s laid out two futons with thick blankets and tells them to rest for however long they might need to and that if, upon waking, they can’t find him in the house, then he’ll be outside working on his field tools that need fixing.

“Finally,” Shura all but sobs as she lies (tumbles) down unto the futon, “I’m gonna sleep for a week.”

“Please don’t,” Ryuuji pleads, knowing it’s a joke, but… then again… “I want to get back sometime tomorrow, you know. I have so much to do...”

“C’mon, Suguro, at least pretend to have a sense of satisfaction after finishing a mission like this,” Shura says, her voice already sleepy and floaty, “Rin is right - you were really cool today, holding your own like that. You’ll make a really good exorcist.”

Ryuuji feels his face go red, not that she can see it in the dark, “Thank you...” he mumbles, “you were pretty cool today too, Miss Kirigakure.”

Her answer is a snore. Ryuuji feels a strange smile take place on his face. Ah, she really is a weird one… But… not as bad as she could be. He finds that he actually likes working with her like this.

Ryuuji closes his eyes as well, finally ready for some well-earned rest.

* * *

**I KNOW YOU BETTER NOW - WE HAVE BASKED IN THE SAME SUN.**

They sleep in until well past noon. The light filters in through the shoji, basking the room in a warm kind of glow - Katsugi must’ve removed the amado while they slept. Ryuuji’s surprised to have slept through it - he’s usually such a light sleeper.

But he supposes the strain of yesterday was more than enough to have him passed out like the dead.

Shura’s still snoring away next to him. Ryuuji looks on in exasperation.

“Miss Kirigakure, wake up,” he says. No response.

“Miss Kirigakure, wake up!” he tries again, louder. Shura groans in response, turning over in her sleep.

Ryuuji feels his irritation grow. He gets up and nudges her with a foot roughly, “Come on, wake up!”

“Guh, what is it,” she mumbles, clearly upset that he’s trying to wake her up.

“We have to go. Get. Up,” Ryuuji says with another nudge. 

“Fine,” she grumbles, “you’re such a tyrant, Suguro. I’ll remember this, mark my words.” Shura rises from the futon groggily.

“Sure,” he says flatly.

They go outside to find Katsugi, as promised, in the shack tending to his farming tools. Upon finding out they’re leaving, Katsugi gives them a wicker basket full of vegetables as a thank you - apparently no fruit are ripe yet, but he still wants to thank them properly with a parting gift.

Ryuuji thanks the man for his hospitality and for the gift, both bowing in respect to the other several times before they make their leave.

“What are we gonna do with all this?” Shura ponders, eyeing the rather full basket, “I mean - normally, I’d say give it to Rin to cook something, but…”

Ryuuji frowns at the vegetables, “Yeah…” he pauses, thinking back to Rin’s cooking,” man, I really don’t know… Some we can just eat raw, I suppose, but I’m not too good at cooking myself.”

“Maybe I can give it away to some colleagues? I mean, I know people with families that are sure to find a use for all this,” Shura thinks out loud.

“Yeah, that sounds like a better plan. I’d hate for any of Mr. Katsugi’s work to go to waste,” Ryuuji agrees.

The trip back is… comfortable. On the train, they sit in companionable silence as the scenery passes by. Ryuuji reads his book a little more, and Shura falls asleep on his shoulder, snoring quietly - still trying to catch up on rest. Well, she more than deserves it, Ryuuji supposes. She worked hard to defeat the demons.

And then - their stop is approaching. It feels a bit like a reversal of roles, when he nudges Shura, “Miss Kirigakure, we’ll have to disembark soon.” 

She stirs slowly, blinking owlishly at him once she straightens, “Ah, already? I just want five more minutes...” She reminds him of a sleepy kid in that moment, and Ryuuji can’t help but laugh at the sight.

“We’re about to stop at True Cross station,” he says, “Sleep some more when you get home if you’re so tired.”

Shura nods, wiping at the sleep in her eyes, “Nah, I’m fine, I’m fine… just nothing better to do on a train, you know,” she yawns widely, “But hmm, what time is it Suguro?”

“It’s about three in the day,” he answers, slinging his bag over his shoulder as they move towards the exit, “got something planned already?”

“I was thinking of treating ya for lunch since you must be hungry by now,” Shura says leisurely, “I still have some of that allowance left over an’ all.”

Ryuuji eyes her as they step onto the platform, “I mean, sure, I guess. I could eat.”

Shura grins, “Come on, I know just the place!”

Ryuuji follows along, and Shura leads him to an izakaya in the True Cross town’s lower levels. It’s set out along the narrow street - a couple of tables in a tent. The staff at the counter greets Shura like an old friend and points out a table for them to sit at. After grabbing a couple of menus, they go.

“You can order as much as you want, Suguro,” She says with a smile, eyes roving over the items, “I could eat a whole horse right about now.”

Ryuuji gets the ramen with chicken and a serving of various deep-fried seafood items and fishcakes, as well as some green tea.

And Shura… well, she gets a lot of food - like, the table is _overcrowded_ \- and two bottles of sake, to ‘ _start her off_ ’. Ryuuji watches on in horror and understands why the staff were so friendly with her. She must put so much money into this place. Wow.

“Please don’t get drunk in the middle of the day, Miss Kirigakure,” Ryuuji says as he watches her uncork the first bottle and drink straight from the neck. She chugs about half of the whole thing before stopping.

“Eh, this isn’t enough to get me drunk, don’t worry, Suguro,” she says with a wide smile, “Now, let’s eat~” she turns towards the counter to shout out - ”Thank you for the food!” 

The lady smiles back at her enthusiasm and says, “Enjoy it, you two!”

“You want some?” Shura asks, holding out a shot glass of sake to Ryuuji.

“No thank you, I don’t drink,” he says as he refuses, “you shouldn’t go around offering booze to minors as a teacher.”

Shura throws the glass back after taking a large mouthful of her stir-fry. “It wash a thest!” she exclaims, mouth full, “And you passhed, Thuguro.”

Ryuuji narrows his eyes at her, unsure if she’s telling the truth but not really wanting to argue about it.

They eat in companionable silence for a while, and then Shura says, “About our talk yesterday… about Rin. When he gets back, let’s all go out together. I like you two.”

Ryuuji feels a warm feeling unfurl in his chest, “Thank you, Miss Kirigakure.”

“Y’know - you can call me Shura. You’ve earned it, Suguro. Cheers!” she says with a smile, raising her glass in cheers. Awkwardly, Ryuuji clinks his teacup against her glass.

“Well, then, you can call me Ryuuji,” he says, not looking her in the eye, “just so we’re equal and all.”

Shura laughs, “Ah, you’re a cute kid under all that attitude, ya know! I love it.”

Ryuuji feels himself bristle, “I’m not cute! I’m just… I just want to treat others fairly.”

“Ah,” she muses, “that’s another thing ya got in common with Rin. Man, you two are so similar when I really think about it… I feel like, when he comes back and I have to watch over him again, I’d love it if you joined us, Ryuuji. We’d make a killer team when you two become exorcists.”

“You should stop drinking for now, Shura, you’re starting to say a lot of embarrassing things,” Ryuuji says, his cheeks hot from - is it really embarrassment? But her words make him happy too. Shura and Rin… a handful, sure, but working with them… it would be nice, just as she says.

“Hey, I’m being completely sincere here!” she protests, “I mean it! I need someone with me to help balance out his idiot side!”

Ryuuji laughs, “Okay, that sounds a lot more believable. I’m down for it, when he comes back.”

“Yeah,” Shura says, her smile just a little dimmer as she swirls her glass, “when he comes back.”

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoyed!!!! 💗
> 
> Happy holidays! :D


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